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Heartland Marimba
Heartland Marimba has performed hundreds of events across the country since its creation in 2014 by Matthew Coley. The 11th touring season, “Echoes and Evolutions”, has 11 tours, and it culminates with two unique workshops, the Composer LabFest 4 and the Coley Artist Practicum. Through its one-of-a-kind business model, HM has built a platform for classical marimba to become a known entity in the performing arts by showcasing its artists in virtuosic and electrifying ensembles. With its mission of reaching a wider audience and increasing marimba appreciation, HM collaborates with a variety of community organizations. HM seeks to support a diverse roster of composers with such initiatives as their New Music USA grant (2020) and the New Quartets Project (2021). With co-artistic director Jenni Brandon, HM facilitated the creation of Brandon’s Death Valley Symphony, a 5-movement, hour-long work for marimba quartet, choir, percussion, and piano. HM Publications has 90 titles available.

The Heartland Marimba International Festival Orchestra

Keyboard
Daytime Showcase ConcertLive

Within its 12th touring season, Heartland Marimba has organized its second fall marimba orchestra festival, November 4-8, 2026, in Lancaster, PA, co-hosted by the Lancaster Marimba Ensemble. The first festival (originally called the Musser Marimba Festival) was held in October of 2025, in Manheim, PA, Musser's hometown. Highlights of the 2025 MMF included a 45-member MMF Orchestra (15 states represented) with a theremin soloist, six events over a week, and the unveiling of a Musser-marimba-space mural in Manheim. The 2026 HMIF Orchestra concert will be at the Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center at Millersville University in Millersville, PA on November 8. HMIFO will then perform three concerts at PASIC in Indianapolis on Friday, November 13, in the beautiful Artsgarden venue located over the intersection of Illinois and Washington Streets, and connected to the Indiana Convention Center by walkways through the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In collaboration with the Indy Arts Council, we will offer these events free and easily accessible to the downtown population as an insider look at what PASIC does, educating about the amazing artistry, history, and possibilities in our art form. The music selected for the 2026 Orchestra includes Heartland Marimba standards like Simpson's "Fluidity", new transcriptions like Stravinsky's "Petrushka", a cimbalom concerto, our 'Call for Scores' winner, and other selections moving the genre towards a bigger future. Visit HeartlandMarimba.com.